You will not be tested directly on objects. However, understanding this concept will help you to understand the structure of a sentence and will also be important later on when you study the concept of pronoun case.

There are two kinds of objects you should be able to recognize: objects of prepositions and objects of verbs.

Remember that a prepositional phrase has two parts: (1) a preposition and (2) a noun or pronoun that ends the phrase and acts as the object of the preposition. The object of the preposition is simply the word that answers the question what? or whom? after the preposition.

Example: I went with Mark to the courthouse.

This sentence contains two phrases, with Mark and to the courthouse.

The first phrase consists of the preposition with and the noun Mark. If I ask With whom?, the answer is Mark; therefore, Mark is the object of the preposition with.

The second phrase consists of the preposition to and the noun courthouse. If I ask To what?, the answer is the courthouse; therefore, courthouse is the object of the preposition to.

Of the three types of verbs (action, linking, and helping), only action verbs can take objects. If an action verb is followed by an object, there will be a word or words that answer the question what? or whom? after the verb.

In some cases, the action verb will be used alone, without an object after it.

Examples:

  Jason laughed.

Alison sneezed.

The little boy sobbed loudly.

The dog barked fiercely at the letter carrier.

In the above examples, there is no word that answers the question what? or whom? after the verbs laughed, sneezed, sobbed, and barked. In other words, there is no object for these verbs.

However, in many cases, action verbs will be followed by objects.

Examples:

 Jennifer wrote a letter to her boyfriend.

Denis threw the ball to third base.

I saw Jeff and Melissa at the mall.

Jennifer wrote what? A letter. Letter is the object of the verb wrote.

Denis threw what? The ball. Ball is the object of the verb threw.

I saw whom? Jeff and Melissa. Jeff and Melissa are the objects of the verb saw.

If you can find action verbs and prepositions, you will be able to find their objects by asking the question what? or whom? after the verb or preposition.

Bracket any prepositional phrases in the following sentences. Over the object of the preposition, write the letters OP. Then underline the subject of each sentence with a single line, and underline the verb with a double line. If the verb is an action verb, check to see if it has an object. If so, write the letters OV over the object of the verb.

1. Michael opened the letter and read the message aloud in an angry voice.
2. Mr. Porter is leaving Sudbury on the eight o’clock flight to Toronto.
3. Have you seen my hockey stick anywhere in the basement?
4. In my determination to succeed, I spent long hours studying in the library.
5. The rider galloped through the gate and screamed a warning to the soldiers.
6. There is no answer for this problem in the back of the book.
7. Open your textbook to page 342, and complete the exercise on fragments and run-ons.
8. Have you had a long wait in this stifling heat?
9. Without a doubt, that mule is the most stubborn creature in the world!
10. Jorge dropped the crystal bowl into the sink and shattered it into a thousand pieces.

Bracket any prepositional phrases in the following sentences, and write the letters OP over the object of the preposition. Then underline the subject of each sentence with a single line and the verb with a double line. If the verb is an action verb, check to see whether it has an object. If so, write the letters OV over the object of the verb.

    The day was drawing to a close. Beyond the distant hills, the sun was setting slowly in the western sky. Suddenly, a rider topped the nearest ridge and descended the slope to the valley floor. Once there, he dismounted and led his horse into the shadow of a massive oak. For a long time, he stood motionless, looking back along his trail. Had the others noticed his absence? Was anyone following him? At last, he sighed in relief. They would not come after him now, at dusk on a moonless night. They would wait until dawn. For the moment, he was safe.

    Hurriedly, he laid branches together and made a small fire. Then he unpacked his gear and cooked a Spartan meal of baked beans and coffee. The wind moving in the trees rustled their leaves gently, like the whisper of old memories, and stirred the embers of the dying fire. Before long, darkness had covered the woods in its soft cloak. Wearily, the man unrolled his sleeping bag and was soon deep in exhausted slumber.

ANSWERS

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